Jun 23 2025

Afternoon Bible Verse

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Afternoon Bible study

Everyone needs God's grace. We may not always act like we need God, and sometimes we may not think we need God—but we do. As long as we are sinful, we need a Savior. We can try to hide our weaknesses and act like we have it all together, but in doing so we miss the opportunity to experience God's power that allows us to move forward in grace.

Pride can keep us from readily admitting and confessing our sins, but this afternoon's verse in Acts tells us to repent and be converted. When we repent, we're acknowledging things we have done that are not pleasing to God; things that go against His nature and who He is. Repentance is the act of admitting and turning away from our wrongdoing so we can know God.

By confessing our sins, our lives can change in profound ways. Once we have repented, God removes our sin and refreshes our souls.

Think of the various ways we use the word refresh. We say an ice-cold drink after chores or a workout is refreshing. When we forget something, we may ask a friend to refresh my memory. Even reloading a web browser is known as refreshing. If it freezes up and quits responding, we use the refresh command to make it reload and start working again.

Being refreshed by God also allows us to reload. But this time in His strength and power, so our hearts and minds are responding in the right way.

We must not allow pride to keep us from experiencing God's forgiveness and His times of refreshing. These are wonderful gifts that our hearts and souls desire.

Afternoon Prayer

God, thank you for refreshing me. Please humble my heart and help me turn to you instead of trusting in my own strength. I can't grant myself forgiveness or refresh my own soul, but you can. Give me a clean heart that desires to serve you more than my selfish desires. And when I sin, help me realize your great love for me and let me turn to you. In Jesus' name, amen.

Jun 22 2025

Yesterday Afternoon's Bible Verse

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. :

Yesterday Afternoon's Bible study

The late advice columnist Ann Landers once said: "Make someone happy today, mind your own business."

In our social media-driven world, we know more about others than ever before. People share personal photos, political and religious thoughts, life events, triumphs, problems, pet peeves, and all kinds of other revelations. Even if we try to avoid it, we are still made aware of other people's business.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul encourages the people of Thessalonica (an ancient city in Greece) not to meddle in other people's business. The more we know about our neighbors, the more opportunities we'll have to concern ourselves with their lives and gossip about them.

Paul also instructs the Thessalonians to work with their own hands. Later on, in 2 Thessalonians, we learn that there were idle people who spent their time getting into trouble by interfering in the affairs of others. It's possible that these unproductive actions kept them from fulfilling their responsibilities.

Throughout the Bible, we are reminded to keep our hearts and minds focused on God. With our eyes fixed on Jesus, we imitate His behavior instead of giving in to our sinful nature. This godly choice sets us apart from the rest of the world that craves the latest news whether it's true or not. We can reflect God's character as we genuinely love one another by minding our own business.

Yesterday Afternoon's Prayer

God, you know the challenges I encounter every day. When people talk about me, it hurts. Help me to be aware of the things I say so I don't inflict that same hurt on others. Use my words to draw others closer to you. Give me the right words to speak at the right time. In Jesus' name, amen.
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